South Florida Holiday Events Including Drive-Thru Christmas Displays

Although many major festivals and events, including popular tree lightings and boat and street parades, were canceled this year due to COVID-19, there are still fun things to do this holiday season. These drive-thru & socially distanced events are the perfect way to brighten up your year and stay COVID-safe during the Holidays.

South Florida Drive-Thru Christmas Lights

• Lights 4 Hope Drive Thru Holiday Light Show: The show will be every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 6:00pm – 10:00pm from November 16th to January 6th! Proceeds will go to the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital. Location: Okeeheelee Park 7715 Forest Hill Blvd, West Palm Beach, Fl 33413. Cost: $12 for cars and trucks, $20-$30 for vans and busses.
• Relay For Life of Palm Beach County: On December 12, 2020, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, at Palms West Charter School, we’ll be hosting a Winter Wonderland Luminaria drive-thru! This event is free! Visitors will drive through a trail of Luminaria dedicated to people that have had cancer, are currently going through treatment, or have passed away from cancer. There will be food for sale from PDQ & Starbucks. -$5 donation: PDQ Crispy Chicken Sandwich, a bag of chips, and bottled water & $4 donation: Starbucks hot chocolate and cookie *Hot Chocolate and cookies may contain allergens* Location: Palms West Charter School 12031 Southern Boulevard, Loxahatchee, Fl 33470. All money collected will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
• Holidays Lights Drive-Thru Event at Coconut Creek, Florida. They are located at 3600 W. Sample Road. The drive-thru is a nightly experience where you can enjoy three miles of giant illuminated lights and displays.  This is a stay in your car event. The dates are November 20th through January 2nd, 2021 from 6 pm – 10 pm. Early bird tickets on sale for $15 per car for 1 drive-thru.
• Another drivable experience can be found in Coral Springs at the city’s 2020 Holiday Drive-Thru Experience on Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. Unlike years past, the decorated floats will be stationary, and guests can drive through the experience to catch all of the festive floats lining Sportsplex Drive.
• Symphony in Lights features over 250,000 lights dancing to sounds of Trans-Siberian Orchesta and other favorite tunes from November 16 – December 31 at Gulfstream Park Village, 901 South Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach.
• The Celebration of Peace, is a Drive-Thru Christmas Lights Show at Calvary Chapel in Fort Lauderdale (2401 W. Cypress Creek Road) from 6pm to 9pm on December 11 & 12, as well as December 18, 19 & 20. Explore Times Square with this road trip adventure, see Santa’s Workshop, an enchanted forest and travel back in time.
• Santa’s Drive-Thru Village is taking place from December 3-23 at Miramar Regional Park at a cost of $48.99 – $68.99 per vehicle. “Santa’s Drive-Thru Village, a socially-distanced event where guests can visit Santa’s North Pole home from the safety of their car.”
• From drive-thrus to drive-ins: At Dania Pointe in Dania Beach, you can experience a drive-in movie “Come Back for the Holidays” by the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida on Nov. 28 & 29. Decorate your car, don your favorite holiday swag, and belt out your favorite tunes for “Car-aoke Caroling” singalongs. If you’re still craving more musical festivities, you can also catch a live performance by The Prophecy, a Trans-Siberian Orchestra tribute band, on Dec. 5 and Dec 6. Tickets for both drive-in events will need to be purchased in advance.

South Florida Virtual Events

• A holiday tradition in Wilton Manors continues virtually this year with the annual lighting of the Christmas tree, the menorah, and the kinara on Dec. 3. You can watch from the comfort (and safety) of your home by logging on to wiltonmanors.com.
• The City of Oakland Park will host a virtual holiday village on December 4th.
• The Fort Lauderdale Air Show will take place on November 21 & 22 virtual and in person.

South Florida Holiday Events

• The beloved Christmas on Las Olas is reimagined this year to encourage social distancing and smaller crowds, and the good news is, that means more than one night to celebrate on the famous Boulevard. During the “12 Days of Christmas on Las Olas,” a nightly light show will come to life at 30-minute intervals from Dec. 1 – 12. Expect festive music and live entertainment, with restaurants and shops decked out for the season and offering daily specials. Forget a partridge in a pear tree—think sipping a pear martini for the first day of Christmas!
• In Plantation, Christmas Lights in the Acres will shine brightly. This is a time-honored tradition for many families who wait every year to see all the lights synchronized with songs of the season. Also, do you want to build a snowman? (I dare you to read that without singing the popular song from “Frozen.”) In an effort to spread more holiday cheer, the City of Plantation is hosting a snowman/snow scene building competition with the winning creation to be displayed at one of the public parks.
• Holiday Lights at the Shops at Merrick Park: With more than 55,000 twinkling bulbs to adorn its 50-foot tree, Merrick Park’s holiday display is one of the highlights of the season. There won’t a tree lighting ceremony but in lieu of a spectacle, Merrick Park is hosting a drive-thru celebration and holiday toy drive. There will be games, giveaways and live entertainment, and folks are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Dec 6–8pm Address: 358 San Lorenzo Ave, Coral Gables
• Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa: Starting November 27th, see the resort’s annual tradition, a gingerbread display crafted by Pastry Chef Kursten Restivo. The impressive artwork with a tropical holiday theme is in the lobby. These lifesize displays are worth the trip. Last year’s gingerbread surf shack took over 1,000 hours to complete, and 1,800 gumballs, 110 eggs and over 34 pounds of sugar were used to create the gingerbread confection.
• Mizner Park: See 25-minute animated performances at the 47-foot-tall tree at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 1. The holiday “iTree” features 32,000 PVC branches, red and gold bows, ornament clusters, and 25,000 clear and multicolored LED lights.
• Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade: The 26^th annual flotilla of decorated boats will motor in the Intracoastal Waterway, from about 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 5, beginning at North Palm Beach Marina and ending at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. A Zambelli traveling fireworks display heads up the line of boats.
• Christmas at Whitehall: Enjoy self-guided tours and shopping for unique Hanukkah and Christmas gifts at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum store. The first floor of Whitehall is decorated in the Gilded Age tradition. This year’s decorating themes include “Under the Sea,” “Florida Tropical” and “Chinoiserie.” Special nighttime hours have been added to the schedule from Dec. 20 to 23.
• Downtown West Palm Beach At the Waterfront: For the ninth year, the City of West Palm Beach is bringing back a 700-ton sand tree, known as Sandi, beginning Dec. 5. Light shows and music will be presented from 6 to 10 p.m. daily through Dec. 31 next to the 35-foot-tall “tree” in Sandi Land. Santa Claus will pose for photos sitting in a 6-foot-tall lifeguard chair, offering a safe distance between him and families.
• West Palm Beach Rosemary Square: All season long, pose for photos with Santa Claus under The Wishing Tree, a 32-foot banyan tree with LED lights, from 6 to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at other square locations on Thursdays. Every night through Dec. 31 (except Thanksgiving), watch “snow” fall from the tree; light shows begin at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.  Enjoy a variety of other special events, including a Holiday Pup Party for you and your dogs from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 5, an Ornament Decorating Workshop by Sarah LaPierre from 1 to 2 p.m. Dec. 12, and an Ugly Sweater Brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 13. Get your gifts wrapped with Rosemary Square’s signature wrapping paper; $5 per gift will be donated to United Way on Dec. 4-5, 11-12 and 18-19. Click here for a full schedule.

If you are planning your holiday menu, we have several blog posts that may interest you. From Disney Cruise Line Holiday Recipes and Which Holiday Drinks Matches your personality, to the History Behind Your Favorite Holiday Cookies and New Years Lucky Foods, we invite you to browse our Special Interest section of our blog.